


Fatherhood

by secondhandsunlight



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Animals, Bipolar Disorder, Children, Evak as fathers, Fluff, M/M, Nail Polish, Pets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2017-09-21
Packaged: 2018-09-09 15:50:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8898019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secondhandsunlight/pseuds/secondhandsunlight
Summary: A series of drabbles exploring Isak and Even's lives as fathers to three children: Elise, Ingvild, and Eivind.





	1. Bedtime stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Isak returns home late one evening, he finds Even reading bedtime stories to their three children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Born from a random picture of Henrik Holm with children, I got stuck with an image of Even, reading to his children, in my head. This story is what became of that. To be fair I find it quite hard to imagine them as parents when they're still so young in the series, but gosh does it make my heart happy to try. I hope you enjoy it too!

The snow is slowly falling when Isak steps out of the taxi a winter evening. He’s been away with work for a few days, and finally today he got to fly home. It hasn’t been long, really, only two nights, but any night spent sleeping alone is too much.

He unlocks the front door to his and Even’s small house, their home, and steps inside. They haven’t been living here too long; he could still barely believe how they’d gotten this far. Sometimes, he still feels like a teenager who’d just gotten together with their crush. He closes the door quietly behind himself, in case the kids are asleep already, and thinks of how lucky he is. The hallway is a mess of different sized shoes and gloves, and although it some days annoys him, tonight it just reminds him he’s coming home to his family.

There is still light coming from his daughter’s bedroom, he notices as he’s tiptoeing towards the living room, so he stops by the half-open door to peek inside.

His heart clenches in happiness of the sight that meets him.

His family have fitted into the narrow children’s bed for bedtime stories. By the looks of it, they have already gone through several books; he imagines the kids had figured out he’d be home today and tried to stay up. However, only their oldest daughter seems to be still awake, and her eyelids keep dropping. It takes longer and longer for her eyes to open back up, so Isak decides to just let her fall asleep; tomorrow is a school day after all. She’s snuggled up close to her dad’s shoulder, small hand clutching his shirt as if to keep him from leaving. The twins are breathing soundly on Even’s other side, one curled up with their head on his chest, and the other sprawled out over the pillow, thumb in mouth as always.

Even notices him eventually. His eyes light up in that way only Even’s eyes know how to, but his reading barely halters. His voice is low, rumbling softly in his chest. Isak could listen to him for hours.

Soon, the book reaches its end, and Isak moves to help his husband untangle from their sleeping children. He lifts the twin sleeping on top of Even up; they nestle into his shoulder, drooling on his dress shirt, and he thinks his chest might explode with fondness. Even wiggles out of their daughter’s grip and tucks the covers closer around her, before picking up their third child and standing up. He glances between the children and Isak, and bites his lip, and Isak can’t help himself. He presses a kiss to the corner of his husband’s mouth, just a quick one, just because he’s been away for days and just because he needs it.

“Welcome home,” Even whispers, touching his fingers to Isak’s cheek. For a small moment, Isak leans into it, closing his eyes, soaking in the feeling. Then a small whine comes from one of the twins, and the second is over. A soft chuckle slips through Even’s lips.

“Let’s put these little monsters to bed, shall we?”

Isak raises an amused eyebrow at him.

“They seem rather calm to me,” he whispers back teasingly. Even huffs, and gently bumps their shoulders together as they walk across the small corridor to the twins’ room.

“You should’ve seen them at breakfast.”


	2. First day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elise, Isak and Even's oldest child, is beginning her first year of school. It's a big day, not only for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it has become a series! I'm not planning on having a regular uploading date, and not promising anything, but I have more ideas for the story and will try to write them down. I would like to point out that these won't come in a specific order; it's more glimpses into their lives. 
> 
> I also do want to say that I don't have any personal experiences of bipolar disorder, but I am making my best effort to learn enough to do Even justice.

Isak and Even both follow Elise, their oldest daughter, to her first day of school. They’d dropped off the twins at pre-school before, so they could focus on her. She is so excited, proudly carrying her small backpack as they walk the short distance from the parking lot to the entrance. The sun is smiling at them through shattering clouds, and the air smells fresh from the past night’s rain. More children, most accompanied by only one guardian, walk towards the same doors as them.

Even is trying not to shake. He’s so proud of his little girl, and how good she has grown up. He places a hand on her shoulder, feeling her small frame jumping with anticipation. She’s always liked going to pre-school and anything that involves meeting other children, really. Of course, just like any other child she’s had days when she didn’t want to go at all, but she never wants to leave when they come to pick her up again. Not even the idea of homework seems to put her down.

There are too many thoughts in his head. He’s trying to hold on to the positive ones: how amazing his child is, and how happy she makes him. But his mind keeps circling back to how he’d thought he’d never make it this far.

They step it inside, and soon Isak is hugging Elise goodbye. He kisses her cheek, tells her to be good and have fun. She nods, her eyes sparkling with joy, and then she’s reaching for Even. He squats down so he can really hug her, pulling her close with a hand at the back of her head so he can press kisses to her temple.

“Daaad,” she whines eventually, smiling at the affection but trying to pull away. He let’s go, mostly, and strokes some stray hairs from her face.

“I love you so much,” he says. He realises it’s time to leave, because he’s going to cry soon, and that’d be ridiculous. Though, before he has time to get up, Elise throws her arms around his neck again and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Love you too, daddy!” she exclaims, and then she’s off.

Even pushes himself off the ground, and follows Isak out the door. His husband has placed a hand on the small of his back, and Even is very thankful for the support. He just needs to stay together until they’re out of view. But he’s trembling, without Elise’s happy skipping to ground him, and the tears are threatening to fall now, and the flood of thoughts is getting impossible to keep at bay.

Isak reads him so well nowadays. Even is pulled to the parking lot, to their car, without having to think about it himself, and into the backseat where they’re sheltered from the world and Isak can wrap his arms tightly around him.

The tears are streaming now, and it feels as though he has finally released a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

All the nights when he had been so sure he wouldn’t make it another day, another hour; all the days when his mind was spinning out of control and he felt as if it was impossible to hold on to a single thought; all the names people had called him; all the stares.

Somehow, they have all led to here. To him sitting in the backseat of a stationary car with Isak’s arms tight around him. To three wonderful children.

He laughs a little, in between shaky breaths and small sobs. His face is still pressed against his husband’s shoulder, and his eyes are still wet with tears.

But he’s happy he made it here.

He’s so happy.


	3. Distractions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another little snippet into the lives of Even, Isak, and their three children.

It’s the beginning of January, a Sunday afternoon. Isak has taken Elise, their oldest, into town for some back-to-school shopping. She’s beginning the second semester of first grade tomorrow, and she’s still excited for school (thank God), so even though she doesn’t need to bring anything to class they figured some new pencils would make her happy. The twins, however, don’t feel the same way about nursery. Perhaps it is because they’ve always had each other, and their sister, to play with at home, but neither Ingvild nor Eivind had reacted very positively to pre-school. This was also part of the reason they’d separated Elise from the twins today; to allow their oldest daughter her happiness without having the younger children constantly reminded of the next day’s happenings.

Right now, Even’s got his two youngest in the bathroom, painting Eivind’s nails. He’s already done Ingvild’s and he reminds her once again that she cannot touch them. The polish is of the quick drying kind (bless the nail polish creators), and soon he’ll have her hold her hand under cold water to make it set even faster, but getting to that point is the hard part. It’s almost impossible to get two four-year-olds to sit still. To be honest, the hardest part is almost to get the polish onto the children’s tiny nails, and that is why Even often ends up being the one who does the painting. Isak tries hard, but his precision is… lacking. Even’s many years of drawing gives him an advantage.

Eivind is even harder to keep still than Ingvild. He keeps bouncing his legs, because he can’t stick his thumb in his mouth, and Even must remember to keep his painting arm away from the boy’s moving knees, otherwise things might get very messy.

Eivind squeaks when the first hand is done, and waves it in front of his face to look at the colours. He’d picked a deep purple this time, and clearly appreciates how the light reflects in them. Even smiles at him, strokes his cheek before moving back to the polish.

“Don’t touch your nails, put your hand on your knee,” Even instructs the child once again, giving his head a small shake. It’s unbelievable: both how hard it is to keep the children still, and how much he loves them. Ingvild peaks over his shoulder as he puts the brush to use again.

“Vinny, that’s a really pretty colour,” she says, bringing a smile to her brother’s face.

 

Late that night, when the children have finally gone to sleep, Isak and Even lie awake in their bed. Isak’s head is resting on Even’s arm; his hand drawing patterns on Even’s chest. He’s just told his husband all about Elise’s excitement during the shopping trip, but now they both seem lost in thought. Even’s fingers are still carding through Isak’s hair, but his eyes have drifted to the ceiling. Tomorrow will be a day of mixed emotions. Even will bring Elise to school before work, dropping her off and seeing her run towards all her friends. Isak will bring Ingvild and Eivind to pre-school, and deal with that. Hopefully, it’ll be easier by now. But Eivind will be grumpy and acting out, and Ingvild…

“Do you think Inga will be okay?” Isak mumbles, knowing the same subject is on Even’s mind. There’s a deep sigh.

“Yeah, she will,” Even states, but he doesn’t sound convinced.

“I hope she doesn’t cry this time. I feel like the worst dad when she does.”

Even sighs again, pushing himself up a little on the bed and pulling Isak closer. He presses a kiss to the top of his husband’s head, and then wraps his arms around him. Isak fits easily into his embrace. His head rests on Even’s chest as it has done many times before, steady heartbeat soothing his dancing nerves.

“Maybe we should think about putting them in different groups again.” Even’s voice is quiet, and again he doesn’t sound like he believes his own words. But Isak has thought about it too. It’s both a blessing and a curse that the twins are each other’s security. Yet, breaking them apart?

“Let’s give them a little while longer?” he asks, a hint of pleading slipping into his words. He feels Even nod.

“Yeah, let’s just- let’s just keep trying.”


	4. Pets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids have been begging for an animal since, well, _forever_. They’re children, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: translating school system terms suck. Also I’m not 100% sure of how the Norwegian school system works compared to ours (I’m Swedish) so I’ve chosen to keep actual ages out of this chapter, but the twins should be 6-7yo? and Elise should be 10-11.

The kids have been begging for an animal since, well, _forever_. They’re children, after all. Isak and Even have spoken about it, a bunch of times. How wonderful wouldn’t it be to have a dog tumbling around their feet? Or a cat to cuddle up to at night? But it’s just not a good time for a dog, when they’re just managing three kids and two more-than-fulltime jobs, and their neighbourhood isn’t suited for free-running cats (and really, they don’t trust their children not to let an indoor cat out by mistake), and neither hamsters nor fish seem very appealing to them.

“It’d be _so nice_ _though_ ,” Even had sighed with a pout, before they’d decided to drop it.

The solution came to them the summer before the twins started school. One of Elise’s friends asked them to babysit her bunny, and they’d taken care of the little thing for two weeks. The kids had loved it, and spent endless hours with it. Petting it, walking around with it in a tiny harness, just feeding it the same grass as was under its feet. Another of Elise’s friends told her they really liked the leaves of dandelions, so the two had spent a good half hour in a ditch before coming back with their hands full of leaves as big as the bunny itself.

After that, the kids would not stop talking about bunnies. Isak and Even found themselves looking into it more; what did a bunny actually need to be happy? What could a bunny do more than eat? They weren’t convinced. Not until Isak stumbled upon a video of a bunny running around inside just like a dog, following its human around, and cuddling in front of the tv. It’s like the perfect combination between the dog and the cat they’d been thinking about before, and when they’re out it can stay in its cage so they won’t have to worry about the children leaving a door open a second too long.

As autumn arrives, the idea gets put on hold. Eivind and Ingvild have to get settled into a new school, with several children they haven’t met before, and it takes them all a lot of energy. Eivind gets agitated when he’s anxious, bouncing in his seat and talking, interrupting the other children’s concentration. Ingvild is somehow the complete opposite, and barely utters a word in class unless she’s forced to. But they work on it. Even asks around the people he knows for advice, and Isak does a bunch of research online (who knew parenthood would mean so much research?), and they find little ways to help the twins adjust. Ingvild gets moved over in class to sit between a girl and a boy from pre-school she gets along well with, and it helps her slowly come out of her shell. By the mid-semester break, she’s laughing with the other students in class, and answers easier questions when the teacher calls on her. It’s a big win, and such a relief.

On one of his late-night internet sessions, Isak encounters fidget toys, and more importantly fidget jewellery. He can barely keep himself from waking Even up, but manages and shows him in the morning instead. Before breakfast is over they’ve placed an order for several things; two bracelets, that look like the old, curly kind of phone wire, for each child (including Elise, because it’s easier to make things fair), and a necklace with a silicone pendant made for chewing on for Eivind, to give him something to bite on instead of his thumb.

Of course, it’s not a solution, but it gives the children some things to let out the nervous energy on, and Eivind something to focus on that doesn’t interrupt his learning, and Even and Isak are very happy to hear it helps them some.  The twins are doing _so good_ , everything considering, and that’s when the idea of a bunny comes into picture again. They want to give the children a reward for how good they’ve been, and something to look forward to after school. Eventually, they find a four-years-old bunny to adopt, and arrange with its current owner to pick it up the first weekend of the Christmas holidays. The garage gets closed off for “Christmas presents” and is filled with everything needed to give a bunny a happy life.  

It’s hard to not tell the kids, but seeing the surprise on their faces will be worth it. Isak props his head up on Even’s chest in the late evenings, discussing everything they all can do with the bunny. Even makes notes on his phone and kisses Isak on the nose.

When The Day finally arrives, they pile the kids into the backseat of their car and take off. Finally admitting they’re on their way to get a pet is amazing. Their children get _so happy_. After the initial surprise wears down, they take a few minutes to explain some ground rules. _You have to play with bunny every day. You can’t fight over the bunny; it’s all of yours. You all need to help taking care of it, and help cleaning the cage._ Elise nods quickly, and Eivind follows her lead. It takes two more tries to get through to Ingvild, who is bouncing as much as she can in her seat, eyes wide with excitement, but eventually she too catches on and chants _yes_ over and over again.

“We’ll take _so good_ care of it!” Elise promises, her siblings agreeing. Even keeps his eyes on the road, but the smile on his face could outshine the sun. Isak turns to them.

“We know you will. You’ve all been doing _so well_ this semester, and you’ve grown so much. We are so very proud of you, all three of you, and we wanted to give you a reward,” he says, and then adds a question he already knows the answer to:

“Is a bunny a good reward?”

“YES!” his children yell in chorus. Even laughs joyously, his eyes crinkling, and Isak cheers loudly. It earns him an amused glance from his husband, and Isak grins back at him.

The rest of the trip is uneventful. Isak leans back and closes his eyes for a few minutes, listening to their children’s excited voices. He tries his very best to commit this moment to memory so he can keep it close to his heart forever.  

A lady meets up with them outside of her home. They lift the grey bunny out of its cage and she holds it so the children get to pet it. Their eyes are big in awe and their hands almost hesitantly gentle, and the grown-ups share a smile over their heads. Isak gets a quick guide in the bunny’s favourite way to be held (against his chest, one hand on its back and the other under its rump; it sniffs softly in his ear) whilst Even goes to get his wallet from the car.

“What’s his name?” Eivind pipes up.

“Well, we’ve called him Oliver,” the lady says, in a way that tells Isak she doesn’t want it to sound like they have to call it the same thing. He’s figured they’ll ask the kids later what they want to call it.

“That’s such a pretty name,” Elise says, and she’s sounding so amazed Even has to choke down a laugh.

Soon, the bunny goes back into the small travel cage that they’re getting with the price, and they’re going home. The bunny keeps its name.

In the evening, when they’ve finally gotten the twins to settle in bed, Even and Isak sit down in the couch. Isak slings his arms over the backrest, and Even sinks down to lean his head against Isak’s chest. They’re both watching the small animal that now lives in their living room.  They’d figure it’d be easier to let it get accustomed to the cage first before letting it run around free, so it’s a bit away from them, happily chomping on some hay.

“His ears are _so long_ ,” Isak mumbles, and Even snorts. The bunny they’d taken care of for Elise’s friend had had short ears that stood right up, but this one’s ears were hanging almost to the ground.

“Can you believe we actually got a pet?”

“The best idea we’ve had in a while,” Isak smiles. “They were so happy.”

“Yeah, I know,” Even breathes. Isak can feel him smile against his skin, and then a huff of warm air. “Ingvild’s going to wake up before sunrise tomorrow.”

Isak groans.


	5. Voicemail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of voicemails Isak leaves on Even's phone through the years as they weave their way through parenthood.

_“Even, pick up your damn phone! We got approved! Call me!”_

_“Hey. So. Apparently strawberry jam is not that easy to get out of rugs? We’re going to need some heavier cleaning supplies from the store, can you pick that up on your way home? And, nappies. Buy a lot.”_

_“_ [agitated] _Hey! Look, I’ve left the kids at the neighbours’. Annika’s said she’ll look after them and they can eat lunch there and everything, so it’d be good if you could pick them up there after work._

[a sigh]

_I needed to-_ _Fuck, Even, they called from the hospital. Mum ran out into traffic, I’m on my way there now. I don’t think she actually got hit but they’re probably admitting her again and I- I need to be there. For her. I’ll call-_

[muffled, but loud] _FUCKS SAKE YOU CAN’T DO A U-TURN HERE, YOU ASSHOLE!_ [car honking]

Shit, shit, sorry, I’ll call you when I know more, I’m sorry. Love you. I’ll call you.”

_“Babyyy, I miss you! So much, baby. This conference sucks, it’s so boring. I mean a lot is really interesting but I hate sleeping alone. I’m-_ [giggles] _I’m so drunk. We went to a pub after dinner because I-don’t-know-why, and, fuck, apparently, I’m a lightweight nowadays. God, I haven’t been drunk since we had Elise. Can you believe how big she’s gotten? Amazing. I’m scrolling through pictures my phone, this one is from when she was only two! I’d forgotten she had that shirt, aw._

_[extended quiet, broken by content sighs]_

_Oh. Oh! I was going to call Sana and tell her about this cool new thing I learned! I’ll talk to you later, babe! Love you! Bye!”_

_“Even, I need muffins. With chocolate chips in. Buy muffins.”_

_“Even! Even, hi, it’s me. I, uh, I need you to call me. We’re at the hospital. We’re fine, everyone’s fine! But Inga’s definitely broken her arm; we’re waiting for an x-ray but we’ve seen a doctor already and they’re sure it’s broken. I mean it’s not like there are bones sticking out or anything and it wasn’t so bad I couldn’t drive us here myself, but it’s broken. Trust me. Elise and Vinny are here as well, I brought them, I didn’t-_ [muffled] _I didn’t know what to do. She’s gotten some pain medication so she’s not in pain anymore but she wouldn’t- God, Even, she wouldn’t stop crying, and I was driving so I couldn’t- I couldn’t hold her, I couldn’t-_

[a sharp exhale, a shaky inhale]

_Just, call me.”_

_“Hey babe, I know you’re busy with work tonight but I just wanted to call and say goodnight. The kids have been great today; Elise helped Eivind and Ingvild with their maths homework, and then they all helped me make tacos for dinner. They’ve been so good these past few days, but they miss you. I miss you. I hope everything’s going well; call me when you’ve got time tomorrow?_

_Goodnight, Even. I love you.”_


End file.
